公元919年，薩剋森公爵亨利一世當選為東法蘭剋王國的國王，建立了薩剋森王朝，正式創立德意志王國。薩剋森王朝的地域大致位於今荷蘭、德國西部、瑞士和奧地利。嚴格意義上的德意志歷史的就此開始。
勃蘭登堡-普魯士（德語：Brandenburg-Preußen）是德國歷史上的一個國傢，指近代史中從1618年至1701年存在的勃蘭登堡霍亨索倫傢族的國傢。
勃蘭登堡與普魯士都是霍亨索倫傢族血統，而主係的勃蘭登堡選帝侯傢族以政治聯姻方式控製了普魯士公國，更趁1618年普魯士公國霍亨索倫傢族絶嗣之機，奪得了該國的繼任權。該次聯姻更使勃蘭登堡在1614年簽訂了桑騰條約中，獲得了吞併三個萊茵河域的附屬國（馬剋伯國、萊溫斯堡伯國與剋裏維斯公國）的准許。三十年戰爭將德意志地區毀壞殆盡，選帝侯三度變更，軍隊恣意蹂躪，到處燒殺搶掠。及至戰爭完結，德意志人口驟減一半，柏林等城市一片頽垣敗瓦，歷時很久纔得以復興。
三十年戰爭以1648年簽訂的西發裏亞和約作結，普魯士獲得了明登和赫伯斯達，還有遠波美拉尼亞（1653年吞併之）與馬德堡（1680年吞併之）的繼承權。而在1657年簽訂的布倫堡條約則使普魯士公國脫離波蘭的藩屬地位，並獲得了勞恩堡和比餘托夫地區及德拉鹹地區，更將波美拉尼亞的版圖擴展到奧得河。
勃蘭登堡-普魯士是共主邦聯，也是普魯士王國的前身。在普魯士升格為王國之後，勃蘭登堡-普魯士常簡稱為普魯士。
The Kingdom of Germany grew out of East Francia in the tenth century.
The eastern partition of the Treaty of Verdun of 843 was never entirely Frankish and consisted also of large populations of Saxons, Bavarii, Thuringii, Alemanni and Frisii. When the crown passed to a non-Frankish dynasty (the Liudolfings), the term regnum Teutonicum or Teutonicorum came into informal use. By the High Middle Ages, the German character of the united stem duchies was generally recognised.
As the other various states of the Carolingian then Holy Roman Empire removed themselves from its orbit, leaving solely Germany, her kings holding the imperial title and struggling for it, the German state became synonymous with the Empire and in the time of the Renaissance, the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" united the two concepts of empire and kingdom. In that sense, the German kingdom survived until the abdication of Francis II in 1806.
The term rex Teutonicorum, or "king of the Germans", first came into recorded formal use during the Investiture Controversy perhaps as a polemical tool against the Emperor Henry IV by Pope Gregory VII in the late eleventh century. In the twelfth century, in order to stress the imperial and transnational character of their office, the emperors began to employ the title rex Romanorum or "king of the Romans" on their election (by the prince-electors, seven German bishops and noblemen). The royal titles of Germany, Italy, and Burgundy, which traditionally had their own courts, laws, and chanceries, remained nominally with the Holy Roman Emperors until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 or the abdication of Francis II in 1806.